Lecture to explore

Lecture to explore statistical
corroboration of psychic abilities

(Jan 16): A professor of statistics from the University of California,
Davis, will discuss the surprising degree that scientific testing
corroborates the existence of certain psychic abilities, in a
talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, in the Keck Classroom (G52)
of Pettengill Hall, Bates College.

Titled "Investigating Psychic Phenomena with Statistics," Jessica
Utts' lecture at Bates is co-sponsored by the psychology and mathematics
departments, and is open to the public at no charge.

Utts is an expert on statistical issues related to parapsychology,
the scientific study of purported abilities such as telepathy and
precognition. In the mid-1990s, Utts took part in an American Institutes
of Research evaluation of the Central Intelligence Agency's "Star
Gate" program, which investigated possible intelligence uses
for extrasensory perception.

The panel's well-publicized conclusion was that experiments had
shown statistically significant evidence that could support the
existence of parapsychological abilities (read her report here:
Read Article Here

"The results of the experiments are so intriguing," Utts
says. "If similar data had been obtained in a less controversial
area, there would be no problem with accepting that the phenomena
are real. But in this field, the strong statistical results simply
lead to more questions."

"We have many more questions than answers, and many of the
questions are amenable to statistical analysis." For instance,
she continues, "How can the data be explained? If psychic
abilities do exist, does everyone have them? Are the results correlated
with other physical or psychological factors?"

Utts has appeared on numerous television programs, including ABC's "20/20" and "Nightline," "Larry
King Live" and "CNN Morning News," discussing topics
ranging from parapsychology to luck and lotteries. She is the author
of "Seeing Through Statistics" (Duxbury Press, 1999).

Although Utts is well-aware of the risks to credibility posed
by research in a field like parapsychology, she says that mass-media
coverage sensationalizes scientific research in all manner of disciplines.

"As a statistician, I often read newspaper accounts of studies,
then go check the original journal article," she says. "In
most cases, only the most sensational results from the study are
reported, leading to a distorted view of what the research actually
showed."